Researchers find sea sponges share 70pc human genes

A Queensland scientist has discovered sea sponges share almost 70 per cent of genes with humans.

An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome of sponges taken from the Great Barrier Reef.

University of Queensland Professor Bernard Degnan says the ancient marine animal shares the same core cellular building blocks as people.

Professor Degnan says the research gives an insight into how ancient genes contribute to human biology and health.

He says the research could lead to medical breakthroughs.

"Possibly by understanding the genes that control stem cell medicine in sponges and relating that to genes that are involved in human stem cell biology, we might find some deep and important connections that we might actually inform the way we think about our own stem cells and how we might be able to use them in future medical applications," he said.

"That ancestor a long time ago had to actually do some of the key things that are essential for our own health.

[It] had to be able to take the balance of growth, keep the whole body healthy, so when cells break from that, those controls we see cancer occur and so we see these controls intimately associated with just being a multi-cell animal."